Let's Take It From The Top, Chapter 4: Stepping Into the Spotlight
Sitting on her bed, Marinette heard a faint and unfamiliar sound. Eww! Did a bug get in here? she thought, opening her eyes...
"EEP!" she squeaked, leaning back quickly as she saw a huge silver butterfly, flapping its wings right in front of her!
Where did THAT come from? I've never seen one that big - and is it GLOWING? And aaaaaaah it's coming right at m-
The butterfly reached out and touched one of her hair ties, very gently... and, to her astonishment, it disappeared! She didn't have much time to wonder before a silvery symbol appeared in front of her eyes, hanging in mid-air.
"Hello," a voice said to her, seemingly from inside her head. "Please don't be afraid. Can you hear me?"
"Oh, jeez, it's happening to me, too! I'm losing my mind!" Marinette panicked. "What is HAPPENING to me today?"
"You're not losing your mind. Be calm. This is new to me, too. Can you see something different in the air around you?"
"Um... there's the glowy thing in front of my eyes that moves wherever I turn my head. DOES THAT COUNT?" she hissed, terrified.
"Yes, it does," the voice laughed, gently. "It means that this actually works, and I can hardly believe that it does. I apologize for scaring you... Marinette, is it?"
"YOU KNOW MY NAME?" whimpered the young woman. "Okay, hold it right there. Who are you? WHAT are you? You won't hurt me, will you?"
"You may call me... Papillon. I mean you no harm, I assure you... and, in fact, I am in need of your help. Will you please hear me out?" the voice asked.
"Do I have a choice?" Marinette asked.
"Of course you do! I will not force my proposition onto you. But may I explain, briefly?"
Marinette paused for thought. "O-okay," she managed.
"I will understand if what I say seems incredibly crazy to you, but I promise that I am being completely serious about all of this," the voice intoned. "I am reaching out because I need your help."
"I've been hearing that a lot lately, for some reason," muttered Marinette. "Go on."
"As I said, you may call me Papillon... the Butterfly. I wish to keep my identity secret for now, and I will keep yours secret as well, if you accept my offer. We have not met, but through my butterfly's... telepathic link, you could call it, I can hear your spoken words and you can hear mine. I can sense certain things about you; only your name and very basic things about you. I cannot and would not probe deeper."
Is THIS what happened to Adrien? wondered Marinette. Wait, could PAPILLON hear me thinking that?
"There is something... magical loose in Paris right now. A boy, about your age, in the costume of a black cat. Have you seen anyone like that, perchance?" Papillon asked.
"No? I really, really think I'd remember that," she answered. "Let me check my closet... nope! No magical catboys there."
"Heh! I admire your spirit, young woman... But I assure you, he is out there. He has power vested in him that he does not understand; power that could be extremely dangerous, if misused. He is scared and alone right now, I suspect. It is my task to bring him in unharmed, and try to help him, if I can... which is where you come in."
"What in the world could I do?" Marinette asked, slowly becoming less terrified and more curious. "I'm just an ordinary girl, with an ordinary life."
"I can change that... temporarily. If you would want that to happen."
"Why ME?" wondered Marinette. "Other than that I'm a weirdness magnet, all of a sudden..."
"My butterfly is attracted to positive emotions. Hope, love, compassion, warmth, laughter. I cannot control whom it will go to; it seeks out someone whose spirit is light and pure, who wants to make a good impact on their world. Today, it found you," replied Papillon. "It's actually quite a compliment, you could say."
"Okay, it found me. Yay, me! Now what?" Marinette was starting to feel like Alice's Red Queen, believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast. "What does it do?"
"Would you believe... it grants superpowers?" asked Papillon. "Temporarily. If you will help me catch the cat, you will hardly believe what you'll be capable of. May I ask that of you, Marinette?"
This is all too crazy by half! she thought. Someone's pranking me, somehow, or something like that. This can't be real.
"Go ahead. Show me," she said.
"All right, then. Chrysalis... FORM!"
Silver, sparkling light cascaded around Marinette's body, and she tried to take back her last statement... but she found herself transfixed, unable to move or speak, for several seconds. She felt as if she was suspended in mid-air, nestled in a cocoon of energy, the strangest tingling sensations all around her. It was not unpleasant, but quite unlike anything she had felt in her life.
Just as she started wondering how she was going to breathe in this cocooned state... it burst open, and she emerged as... wait. What the HECK am I wearing?
Marinette... or who used to be Marinette, at least... looked in the mirror. Her pigtails were pointing straight up, almost like antennae. A red domino mask covered her eyes, with a black bodysuit with yellow trim covering most of her body. It was form-fitting without being disturbingly revealing. She felt a slight weight on her back, almost like she was wearing a backpack. She felt strangely energized, seemingly ready for anything.
"What in the WORLD?" she marveled, looking herself over.
"Welcome... Firefly," the voice smiled.
"Firefly?" she asked. "That's my new name?"
"Indeed. Won't you try your wings out?"
Firefly concentrated on the weight on her back. She wasn't sure why it felt natural to her now... but for some reason, it did. Her muscles flexed, lightly...
"WHOA!" She looked down... at the floor, a few feet beneath her!
"YOU WEREN'T KIDDING!" Firefly cried out, her boots dangling above her bed. "This is AMAZING! I'm a human lightning bug!"
She darted around the room, testing her wings out. It seemed that she could change directions on a dime, hover briefly like a hummingbird, and was far stronger than she'd ever imagined being. "Are they, like, part of me now? If something hits them, will it hurt?" she asked.
"Very little can hurt you now, Firefly. And the wings are part of you for now, but have the same kind of magical protections on them as the rest of you. About the only thing that CAN hurt you is another Miraculous user... and, unfortunately, that's who I need you to confront."
"What do you mean by... confront? Like, are we supposed to go all punch-and-kick? I'm not a lover or a fighter. More like a fall-over-er," admitted Firefly.
Papillon tried to be reassuring. "I'm hoping you can talk some sense into him and convince him to return home, rather than knock sense into him. He's not some mustache-twirling comic-book villain; he's just scared. The powers are more for your own protection, and to keep up with him in case he tries to run."
"Protection?" asked Firefly. "From whom, or what?"
She doesn't miss a word, smiled Papillon. "In case he lashes out without thinking. Or... in case I'm wrong about the villainous part."
"You're expecting either?" she asked, nervously.
"I don't know what to expect, to be quite honest," Papillon admitted. "But I can sense what you sense when you're transformed, and guide you as much as I am able from afar, the way I am doing now."
"Oh!" she gasped, looking at the time. "I kind of have to get to school, Papillon. How long do these powers last?"
"You can say 'Transform me!' to change back and forth, Marinette. Although I will caution you that your power supply is limited, and once it is expended, that will be the end of it," he explained. "I can't recharge you. Transformation only uses a tiny bit of power compared to flying, or to your... hidden power, but it all adds up. You should be able to sense when you're running low, so if you are feeling weak as Firefly, I strongly suggest that you stick to low altitudes."
"I have no interest in plummeting, agreed. Um... I'll contact you after school is over, or if there's a sighting of him while I'm there, and we'll start the search?"
"Agreed... Thank you, Firefly. I am in your debt," Papillon smiled.
"Don't thank me yet. Let's see what I can do about your cat first," replied Firefly. "Transform me!"
In a white flash, the heroine became Marinette again, and she gathered up her books and dashed off to class, her mind spinning.
I am SO going to give Adrien a piece of my mind when I see him, thought Marinette as she ran up the steps. That was beyond weird last night, but I helped him out, and then he just disappears like that? And I don't know where this 'Papillon' came from, but it's hard for me to imagine that Adrien's sudden weirdness and THIS craziness aren't connected somehow...
She entered the room and took her seat next to Alya, noting the empty seat across the aisle next to Nino. Any time now...
Ms. Bustier entered, closed the door and greeted everyone. As she took attendance, Marinette noted Adrien's seat remained unoccupied. "I wonder..." she mumbled, under her breath.
"What?" whispered Alya.
"Nothing," Marinette whispered back. He didn't show. I wonder where Adrien DID go after he left my house? I hope he's all right...
At lunchtime, Marinette pulled out her phone and decided to see if she could find anything out.
"Nino," she asked, "Do you happen to have Adrien's cell number?"
"Y-yeah..." Nino replied, surprised. "Do you need it?"
"Yeah. DO you?" asked Alya, overhearing. "Oh, hi, Nino," she added, not leaving him out.
"I just had a question for him. Nothing major," Marinette explained, adding "Don't give me that look, Alya. It's not one of THOSE questions."
"If you say so," her friend smiled. "Just be gentle."
Marinette blew a friendly raspberry her way, accepting her phone back from Nino. "That's it," he confirmed. "I don't know why he's not in today."
"Me, neither," she shrugged. "Maybe he's not feeling well, or something."
Once she was alone, Marinette sent a text:
[Marinette] Hey, this is Marinette. Making sure you're okay, you worried me disappearing like that.
She waited...
...and kept waiting.
The school day dragged on endlessly for Marinette, waiting impatiently to go out and make sure that she hadn't imagined her last twenty-four hours.
As the final bell rang and the class filed out, a few of the girls approached Marinette. "Hey," Rose said, "a bunch of us are heading over to the Pont des Arts; Juleka saw that Andre the ice cream man's setting up there today. Want to come along, Marinette?"
"Maybe next time, thank you!" she smiled. "Very tempting, but I have an errand I really need to run."
Do I ever! she thought, grinning inside, waving as they left.
In an abandoned, boarded-up warehouse, a young man sat on the floor and pondered his options.
Not exactly lavender-and-cinnamon-and-cushioned-beds, is this place? Adrien thought. But it wouldn't have been fair to Marinette to stay there longer, then end up being found by her parents. It was amazing that she took me in at all.
Nearby, he watched a tiny black cat pointedly refuse to even look at him.
"Plagg? Can we finally talk about this?" asked Adrien.
"Kid... you have NO IDEA just how badly you screwed up," muttered the Kwami, angrily. "You could've taken thirty seconds to listen. But nooooooooo..."
"I didn't think that I'd get interrupted like that, or-"
"You didn't THINK, period," accused Plagg. "Here's a question. Your father had two Miraculouses AND all that research about them and what they can do. Why do you think he never tried what you tried?"
"I... I don't know," Adrien admitted. "Well, I guess I do NOW. Because..."
"...because he didn't have the right two Miraculouses. Because he LISTENED to Nooroo when Nooroo told him not to try anything STUPID!" Plagg was visibly furious. "These things are NOT TOYS, Adrien. Invoking them the wrong way like that could've blown up your house, your neighborhood, probably all of France if you'd kept going long enough!"
"I'm SORRY, okay?" sniffed Adrien. "I screwed up, bad. I know I did. What DID I do when that explosion happened, Plagg? Is Nathalie all right?"
"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?" barked Plagg. He looked at the young man's tearful face and calmed down, slightly. "Look, kid... I THINK she'll be all right. I've seen worse backfires in my day, and she was breathing when you left her. Odds are, a couple of days of rest and she'll recover. That shouldn't have, like, burned her face or cut her up; that was a magical explosion."
The Kwami flew in a tight circle, still agitated. "But I don't KNOW what you did, exactly, because now my own powers are screwy! Something in that misfire affected ME and I'm not sure what's different yet; no one's ever tried to invoke me with Nooroo before! So for now, I'm telling you, lay low so I can try to figure this out."
"What do you think's going to happen?" Adrien asked, through some sniffles.
"Well, if _I_ was your father, I'd start sending out Nooroo's butterflies to make superheroes to come find you. And those could be anybody, so be ready for anything," reasoned Plagg. "Nooroo gives out superpowers that last a few days, tops. But as soon as one runs out, he can make another. And I don't know where the current Guardian is... or if he's even still alive, now that I think of it, he would be REALLY old... But if he's out there or someone like him is, he knows I'm awake. What you did back there screamed out CHAT NOIR WAS HERE AND HE SCREWED UP in fifty-foot letters of magical fire, and wherever he is, he knows it."
"And who might HE send out after me?"
Plagg grimaced. "You don't even want to know, kid."
Firefly fluttered over the city streets, landing on a rooftop to survey the neighborhood she was in. I can FLY! she bubbled, unbelievably giddy. I CAN REALLY FLY!
After a moment, she calmed herself. There's a REASON you can fly, Marinette. You have a job to do. Better stick to it. Now, if I was a stray cat, where would I go...
She gazed over her neighborhood, considering what the best plan of action might be. I don't want to just fly around aimlessly and use up my power... but if I just sit here, there's no telling when or if he would pass by. Maybe I should go home and keep an eye on the TV and radio, and see if someone reports seeing anything strange?
Looking down at the crosswalk, she saw an old man in a Hawaiian shirt, trying to cross one of the main avenues, very slowly. He was getting there, but cars were honking and swerving around him angrily. Or I could try to do whatever good I can while I have this power, and figure out the catboy when he does turn up. Plus, this'll be good practice to know what I can do!
Master Fu trudged slowly across the intersection, pretending not to be aware of the havoc he was wreaking on traffic patterns. I'm still spry enough to leap out of the way... I think, he gulped. But this old trick usually lures in someone compassionate to-
All at once, he felt a pair of strong hands under his arms, and felt himself being lifted off the ground!
"Need a lift, Mister?" said a friendly, female voice, as he floated up and over the traffic and onto the sidewalk. He turned in amazement, hearing other people nearby calling out in shock and excitement. A young, winged woman in a red-black-and-yellow costume was hovering in the air next to him, smiling broadly.
"I, um... yes, I did! Thank you, Miss..." he stammered. The Moth has sent out his first butterfly, I see! he smiled, internally.
"You can call me Firefly. Glad I could help!" She gave a little wave, then darted away before Master Fu could say much else.
Once out of earshot, Master Fu mumbled, "You saw that, right?"
Wayzz, from Fu's shirt pocket, agreed. "Definitely a Moth host. Pretty recent, too; her power levels felt quite strong."
"Let's follow, then. Where she goes, our Chat Noir may follow, and she may prove to be intriguing herself."
After a short while patrolling the city, Papillon's energy signature flared up on Firefly's face. "Any luck?" he asked.
"Not really. This is like finding a feline needle in a haystack," Firefly lamented. "I have no idea where to start looking."
"I understand; that's not your fault, Firefly. If he doesn't want to be found, not much can bring him out," assured Papillon. "Can you try again tomorrow, after school?"
"Sure, I can. I'll keep an eye out on the news, in case someone spots him," she replied, then turned and headed for home.
Firefly reached her balcony and transformed back to Marinette, only to hear her phone starting to ring immediately.
Alya, on the other end, was beside herself with excitement. "DID YOU SEE THE NEWS?" she nearly hollered. "This is SO EXCITING!"
"No, I didn't," Marinette answered, entering her room. "I'm turning it on now." She flicked on the local station and saw a huge caption beneath a local news anchor: NEW SUPERHEROINE IN PARIS?
Well, THAT didn't take long! Marinette watched, with a little trepidation, as she saw someone's cell-phone video of Firefly assisting the old man out of harm's way.
"It is unknown what 'Firefly' can do besides flight, or what brought her to our city," said the anchor, quickly being drowned out by Alya's excited voice in Marinette's ear. "GPS check... battery check... I am so on my way!"
"Hey... where are you going?" asked Marinette.
"A superhero in Paris? No way I'm missing this!" said Alya, eagerly. "If I can find her, maybe I can interview her! Start a blog! The FIRESIGNAL! Or the LIGHTNING BLOG!"
"I wouldn't get TOO excited, Alya," Marinette cautioned her. "It's hard to say how long she'll even be around town."
"You want to come out with me to look for her?" asked Alya. "No? C'mon, where's your sense of adventure?"
"Tripping over its own feet, I think," chuckled Marinette. "Good luck on your search!"
The next morning, Marinette arrived at school, not sure quite what to expect. Alya was there, still determined to track down Paris's newest and finest; Adrien, again, was not.
At the beginning of class, Ms. Bustier paused before beginning her lessons. "Attention, class," she said. "By any chance, have any of you seen Adrien Agreste in the last day or so?"
The response was negative all-around. Marinette considered mentioning Adrien's mysterious evening visit, but didn't, lest she have to explain HOW it had happened.
"The school got a call from his father this morning, saying that he had gone missing and asking for assistance. It's not likely anything serious, but if he contacts one of you, could you please let me know so I can pass it on?" her teacher asked.
Marinette took out her notepad, doing her best not to look suspicious. There's zero reason anyone would connect us or think he'd visited me, she thought. I'm being silly worrying. I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is.
Still, she couldn't help glancing every now and then at the empty seat across the aisle.
After school, Marinette transformed and took flight again, trying a different part of the city this time.
I'll check things out from up higher; I can see more of the city that way, she thought. She circled one neighborhood, then the next for about half an hour, keeping an eye out for accidents or dangerous situations as well as for her target.
On the roof of an old warehouse, far below her... a dark, crouching figure caught her eye.
Could I POSSIBLY be this lucky? Firefly thought. Let's see...
Chat Noir sat on the roof, next to an air vent, debating what to do next. If I spend one more minute hiding in that dingy warehouse, he thought, I'm going to go nuts. I need some fresh air! Nobody can see me up here, though, so this should be safe.
I should probably figure out a couple of safehouses like this, pondered Chat. I still have my credit card in my wallet as Adrien, though as soon as I use it Dad will have an idea of where I am when he checks its recent charges. I wonder how much cash I have on hand? Then, I'll need some changes of clothes, and -
"Hi there! Can we talk for a minute?" pealed a pleasant voice from above him, nearly making Chat jump out of his skin with surprise.
"Who are YOU?" he gasped, looking up at the unexpected, winged girl above him.
"They call me Firefly," she smiled, trying not to appear as nervous as she was. "And you are...?"
"Chat Noir," he said, also trying to remain calm. WOW, she's cute! he thought, then put that out of his mind for now. "Did my father send you after me?"
"Not... that I know of?" Firefly replied, looking a little confused. "Should he have? I don't know who your father is. Is he a black cat like you, or more of a tabby?"
"Ha!" Despite himself, Chat laughed. "He's a lot of strange things, but he's human. Why are you following me, then?"
"Well," Firefly began, landing several feet away from Chat. "The... benefactor who gave me these powers asked me to look for someone like you. He said you weren't a supervillain or a threat, but that you had powers that you weren't sure how to control." She grinned, "I assume that's you. I haven't found any other costumed catboys out here."
"And you have found me, mademoiselle. Now what would you ask of me?" asked Chat, theatrically.
"Honestly? He and I hadn't talked a lot about that part. He'd said to ask you to come home, and see if you can be helped-"
"You ARE from my father!" grimaced Chat, assuming a defensive stance. "I'm sorry, and I really don't want to hurt you... but I can't go home right now. I have my reasons."
"I'm sure you do, and I don't want to even TRY to hurt you," assured Firefly. "But if we can-"
Chat moved with the speed of thought, dashing across the rooftops. "Au revoir, pretty one!" he called back.
"HEY!" she yelled, darting off in pursuit. "Don't run from me, Chat!"
He zig-zagged across Paris, with his winged pursuer close behind. "Come on, stop this!" Firefly yelled. "I just want to talk!" Should I try to pick him up and carry him... wherever? she wondered to herself. Or just keep trying to get him to stop and talk it out?
She'd just about caught up to him when a loud crash made them both come up short. "WHOA!" Chat yelled. "Look at that!"
Two trucks had collided hard at the top of a steep hill. One toppled over... and the heavy, huge sewer pipes it had been transporting went hurtling down the hill, towards traffic and pedestrians!
The two costumed teens stared at each other, briefly... then Firefly flew off at top speed.
"What are you doing?" called Chat Noir.
"HELP THEM, you idiot!" shouted Firefly, already halfway there.
Um... yeah! Of course! thought Chat. I ought to do SOMETHING right with these powers...
Chat Noir hurtled forward as fast as he could, scooping a couple of pedestrians out of the path of the runaway pipes. He watched Firefly, who'd already done the same and was doubling back for another.
"OVER THERE!" he shouted, pointing at a young woman with a stroller, who was frozen with fear in the crosswalk.
As Firefly reached her, she panicked; I don't have time to fly them out! NOW what? She put her body in between the woman and the flying pipe, not sure that it'd do any good.
The energy signature over her face flashed, quickly. "You have a hidden power! It should feel instinctual! Use it!" cried Papillon, frantically.
I have to do SOMETHING - But WHAT? -
"LIGHTNING... CRASH!" she shouted, the phrase coming from somewhere deep within her.
Firefly felt light and energy build up within her, rapidly... then release in all directions around her, in a bright, arcing sphere of pyrotechnics!
"AAAAAAGGGH!" she screamed, bracing for impact...
...only for the pipes to hit the sphere of energy and be deflected away!
The lightshow ended as quickly as it had begun, with both Firefly and the young mother stunned that they were still upright.
"THANK YOU!" sobbed the mother, throwing her arms around Firefly. "August and I would've been killed if not for you! And you, too, Mr. Cat!"
Chat waved at her, also a bit stunned by the fireworks. "My... pleasure?" he called out. "And the name's Chat Noir."
Firefly's face lit up again with Papillon's energy. "EXCELLENT work, Firefly... but you now have no more than five minutes of power remaining!" said Papillon. "Best to make tracks, unless you'd like the world to know who you really are?"
"I... understand," replied Firefly. "You'll be okay, ma'am?"
"I will. THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
"Happy I could help. Um... Bug out?" Firefly flew off quickly, with one meaningful glance and a little shrug directed at Chat Noir. He blew her a kiss as she departed, then also left quickly.
The street was filled with cheers and congratulations... except for one ancient observer, who kept his own counsel and followed one of the participants, silently.
Firefly fluttered down onto her balcony, a bit disappointed. "I'm sorry that I couldn't do more for you, Papillon. But I couldn't let those people get hurt..."
"I'm very proud of you, Firefly. I wish I could get to know you better," assured her benefactor. "Perhaps someday, we will meet again like this."
"Someday..." said Firefly, just as her powers sparked out for the last time and she reverted to being Marinette again.
Huh! So much for THAT, Marinette thought. Well, it was fun while it lasted... and at least I got to help people.
She climbed down into her room, stretched out on her bed, and thought, Lying down like this was a mistake. I'm tired enough that I'm not getting up again for a while.
A much-needed nap began moments later.
The sound of her mother calling her to dinner woke Marinette, abruptly. "Coming!" she yelled back, sleepily.
She rubbed her eyes, absently. This has been the strangest twenty-four hours of my life, she thought. I wasn't dreaming all of that, was I?
Marinette was about to leave the room when she caught a glimpse of something on her computer desk, something that she definitely hadn't left there herself. It was a small, hexagonal box, about the size of a tennis ball, sitting on the edge of her desk.
Now, what in the world is THAT? wondered Marinette.
Next time:
* Oh, I think you know exactly what in the world THAT is.
* "What's the deal with the whole insect thing, anyway?"
* Plagg isn't the only one who's feeling strange.
* Marinette does some mental math.
* One missed call...